White Flames Burn Bright
by 75Check57
Summary: Castro was never normal, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Bending multicolored flames at a young age, he was different than the other kids. Besides, it's kind of hard to be normal when you have a voice in your head, right? With Castro in tow, Aang might have a lot more trouble completing his journey than he thought!
1. Prologue: Summer Solstice Festival

**Hi! This is my first shot at actually writing an Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction, so if I make an error, please, correct it so my writing can improve. I have had this idea in my head for so long, over a year in fact, so I decided I should get off my lazy butt and start typing!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own any property of Avatar the Last Airbender**

Chapter 1 - Prologue

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _A young boy, about 5, sits in the ashes of a burned down home. With a closer look you may see that the boy was crying, laying on 2 charred corpses._

 _The boy, sobbing, lay on the scorched bodies. It was no wonder why he was upset. The bodies he was crying over… were his parents._

Castro POV

I ran around the house, collecting my belongings I wished to take with me to the Southern Air Temple. Grabbing multiple sets of clothes, my coin purse, and the last of my stash of fire flakes to snack on, I hurriedly threw these items into my pack and dashed outside to meet with Aang and his mentor, Monk Gyatso.

Upon reaching the doorway, I shouted to them excitedly, "I'm ready, let's go!" Aang grinned and shouted back, "Pronto hotman! Let's get going, we don't want to miss the beginning of the festival!" Jumping onto Appa with a burst of fire, I landed neatly in the saddle and quickly got comfortable, for as soon as I did, Appa slammed his tail into the ground and took off in the direction of the Air Temple.

I smiled. We were heading to the annual Summer Solstice Festival, which was being held in the southern temple this year. With fireworks, various vegetarian festival foods, dance parties, and many other entertaining activities, the Festival was well-known and often attended by many friends of the Air-nomads from the other four nations.

"Hello Castro, how are you doing?" Monk Gyatso greeted warmly, smiling.

"Great! I've discovered how to do something amazing with my firebending! I'll show you guys later, I don't want to scare Appa." I replied.

Gyatso raised an eyebrow, "Would you mind explaining what it is that you have discovered?" I shrugged, "Sure, why not? Well, do you remember me telling you guys about my theory about electrical fire?" Gyatso stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Yes, I do. What of it?" I looked around, and then leaned forward, grinning, as if sharing a secret. "I've done it; I've found a way to create white fire!" At this, Gyatso jerked back, eyes widening in surprise.

He then relaxed, grinning, "Impressive, Castro! And here I was, thinking that you wouldn't find something more powerful than blue, well done!" he said nodding appreciatively. My grin faded. "There are some drawbacks to it though, for one, I can't do it for a long time; it is extremely draining on my chi reserves. For two, if it is concentrated, the fire is so bright, it can blind you! First time I did it, I couldn't see for an hour!" I explained, gesturing wildly with my hands.

Aang, who had been listening in, looked back at me. "Wow! That's amazing! How does it work? Can you show me? What happens if- Hold up Aang, one question at a time!" I cut in, laughing. "Which one do you want answered first?" I asked him.

He looked at his mentor. "Monk Gyatso? Could you please take the reins so I could talk to Castro?" Gyatso smiled. "Of course Aang." Gripping the reins, Gyatso switched places with Aang.

After getting comfortable, he hummed thoughtfully, "How do you do it? I've never heard of a firebender using white fire before." He then looked at me expectantly, grey eyes full of curiosity. "Well, I got the idea a long time back, when I used lightning for the first time. I figured, if I can use lightning, what if I could combine it with fire? So, I started practicing, at first I tried bending fire out of one hand, lightning from the other, this just resulted in the lightning exploding in my face."

I took a breath before I continued, but Aang beat me to it. "What does this have to do with my question?" he asked impatiently. "Hold on, Aang I'm getting there. Well, after many trials and errors, and even more explosions, I managed to do it both at the same time, out of the same hand! There I was, holding the first ball of white fire in history! But, I looked at it too long and nearly went blind." I finished lamely looking at my feet.

"How did it almost blind you? How bright was it exactly?" he questioned. I chuckled, "Bright enough to blind me!" Aang joined in on the laughter.

"Boys, collect your things, we are almost to the temple." Gyatso shouted over to us over his shoulder.

I grabbed my pack and began to organize the items inside. "Awesome! Hey Castro, we didn't miss the starting show!" Aang said, peering over the edge of Appa's saddle.

"And they are still setting up the stage, which means you have some time to recollect with your friends." Gyatso added.

Appa landed on the pavilion with a whoosh of air. When we landed Aang and I were greeted by two familiar faces. I jumped down and looked at my other two friends, Kuzon and Bumi. I smiled. "Long time no see guys! How's things go back home for you guys?" Bumi gave me his trade-mark crazy smile, "Stuff back home has been awesome! Dad let me have both Aang and Kuzon over for a week before the festival, it was awesome, and I wish you could have been there!"

Kuzon nodded excitedly, "how about you? You been okay?" I grinned, this was gonna be funny. "Yeah, come here and look at this!" I waved them to follow me to the edge of the temple pavilion. Taking a deep breath, I gathered an immense amount of chi in my right hand…and flung the chi into the air.

The resulting fire ball was a bright, beautiful white. At this display of fire, all three of my friends' jaws dropped. "Cool…" they said collectively. I smirked, "Yeah, it is pretty cool."

Bumi was the first to sober up, "Is that the electrical fire you mentioned?" I nodded. "It was a pain in the butt to get it right though. And that's not the only thing I can do with it either. Stand back!" I warned.

Once they were a safe distance away, I stood up straight, focused my chi into the soles of my feet…And began to _fly_. "That's amazing! Could you teach me how to do that?" I fell to the ground and smiled. "Sure thing! How about tomorrow morning?" Kuzon nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

"Hey kids! The shows about to start!" a man shouted across the pavilion. "Thank you!" Aang shouted back. "Come on guys! Let's not miss the show!" we all nodded in agreement. And with that we all ran across the pavilion to enjoy the festival.

 _The next morning_ Aang POV

I groaned and stretched in my bed as I awoke. I stood up, and then put on some clothes for the day.

Walking out side I saw Bumi setting on a bench in a nearby clearing, watching Castro trying, and failing, to teach Kuzon how to lightning-bend. Walking closer I heard them talking. "Remember; if you feel any emotion, it will interfere with the lightning and it will keep exploding. Try again." At this, Kuzon took a deep breath and began to move his hands slowly in a circle. Peering closer, I saw sparks beginning to gather at his fingertips. And then, the energy he had been gathering exploded violently, blowing Kuzon straight back into my chest.

 _Oomph!_ We hit the ground. Kuzon stood up, panicked, and looked at me. "Umm, good morning?" He said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "Ugh…" I groaned then stood up. Bumi and Castro ran up to me. "I'm sorry about that." Kuzon apologized. "It's alright, it wasn't your fault." I reassured him. Bumi and Castro looked at me, "Are you okay?" they asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I didn't land that hard." Castro nodded, and then looked at Kuzon. "What happened? That was perfect!" he scolded him. Kuzon sighed, "I got excited, that's all." Castro nodded patiently. "Oh. Do you want to try again?" he shook his head, "No, my dad is gonna be here pretty quick to pick up me and Bumi. We do have enough time to get some breakfast though!"

My stomach rumbled. "That doesn't sound bad to my stomach." I joked. Laughing we made our way to the mess hall.

"Hey Kuzon," Castro said over breakfast, "promise me that you'll keep practicing your lightning while you're at home, you were close to doing it." He said encouragingly. Kuzon smiled, "I will."

"So Aang," Bumi started conversationally, "how's this whole Avatar thing going along?" I frowned. "Well, let's just say I'm lucky to have today off." Bumi chuckled at this. "Wow, they really work you don't they?" he said. "Too much." I agreed.

Monk Gyatso walked into the room. "Kuzon? Your father is here to take you and Bumi home." Kuzon sighed. "Well, it was nice seeing all of you." He and Bumi walked over to the door, where Monk Gyatso was awaiting them. "Bye!" They shouted at us before leaving the mess hall to go home.

Waving, Castro and I stood up. "Well," I started, "What do you want to do?" He smirked; dropping his voice to a whisper, he said, "Wanna go see what those cranky elders are up to?" I grinned. _This could be fun..._

Castro POV

We were sitting in the rafters above the elders meeting with Monk Gyatso.

"We think you've been too soft on the young Avatar, he needs to train! Not to visit with his friends!" One of the elders began angrily, scowling. Gyatso simply nodded, "Avatar or not, Aang needs friends in his life, without friends he will not become the Avatar he needs to be." Gyatso argued.

The same elder as before continued scowling, "No! There is unrest in the Fire Nation, and we believe there may be a war coming! The Avatar does not need friends; he needs the necessary training to stop whatever madness may be brewing in the west! Because of this, we have decided, the Avatar is to be sent to the Western Air Temple to continue his training. He leaves tomorrow."

Gyatso's eyes widened in shock. "I this true?" he looked to the other elders for confirmation. The other elders nodded gravely. "Yes Gyatso, this is true."

I looked over at Aang worriedly, but he wasn't there. _Must've left after what the old guy said_. Silent as a ghost, I fled the scene.

It was near dark when I reached his room. I knocked on his door. No answer. "Aang? You in there?" Once again, no answer.

"Psst! Hey Castro, up here!" looking up I saw Aang waving at me urgently. Shooting flames from my feet I flew up to where Aang was waiting for me.

I looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing up here?" I asked. "Leaving." He replied simply. "Leaving? Why?" I demanded. Aang sighed, "I can't let them take me to the other temple! This place is my home, it's either here, or where I feel like going." He said adamantly. I knew that tone of voice, there was no changing his mind now.

"I'm going with you then. But-No buts! I'm going with you whether you like it or not! When do we leave?" I asked him. Aang rubbed his neck, "Umm. Now?" I nodded, "Alright let me grab my pack."

I jumped down, sprinted to my room, grabbed my things and ran to meet Aang at the stables. Hopping on the bison I said to him, "Let's get going before someone catches us." Aang nodded. Then we left.

The ride was silent. "Hey Aang?" I called. "Hmm?" he acknowledged. "I'm gonna take a nap." I told him. "Alright." I lie down, head on my pack, and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

I heard screaming. Waking up more, I noticed a powerful storm raging dangerously around. "Aang! Turn around! We can't get through this safely!" I screamed at him. _CRASH!_ A wave slammed into Appa, dragging all of us under the water, and I from consciousness.

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _The young boy stood up, still crying. A shadow passed over him, blocking out the midday sun for a moment. The boy stopped sobbing for a moment as he inspected the source of the shadow. There was nothing in sight._

 _Suddenly a pair of dragons, red and blue descended above the boy. He started crying again, fearful of what the creatures might do to him. The dragons landed, one on either side of him. Abruptly, a strange feeling of peace came over him._

" _Hush child, we will help you." A voice spoke in his mind. I knew it was the dragon, the red one. Another voice came to him, deeper, raspier. "Come child, I will let you ride upon my back."_

 _The young boy timidly approached the enormous creature. Once close enough the dragon gripped his pants in his jaws and placed the child onto his back. The boy clung there, terrified. Glancing at each other, the dragons nodded, and then ascended in to the sky.  
_

 **Wow. I had to force myself to make it over 2,000 words, because as a frequent reader, I hate short chapters. I hope this isn't too short for you! Have you figured out who the young child is in the flash backs? I bet you can guess who the dragons are too. I would love to get some feedback on the first chapter of this story, so please, review or send a private message! If you enjoyed it, don't forget to favorite and/or follow. Thank you and have a great day!**


	2. The Boy(s?) in the Iceberg

**Chapter 2 is here! After getting 2 reviews on the first chapter, I think I might finally understand the importance of a good review. Thank you C-Lif3 and lizy2000! Well C-Lif3, I noticed that you said that the conversations were confusing; I hope that this will not be the case in the future. Thank you both for the input!**

 **Rated T for violence, language, and adult references**

 **Disclaimer: We all wish we did, but sadly, none of us fans own Avatar the Last Airbender, and I am no different.**

Chapter 2 – The Boy(s?) in the Iceberg

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _"Do it again." The red dragon demanded. Following its instructions, the boy turned around and let loose another fireball._

 _"Better than yesterday." The blue dragon praised._

 _"When am I going to begin learning the bending forms?" The child asked._

 _The red dragon turned his head towards him, "We are dragons, we do not know and forms, and therefore cannot teach them to you." He replied._

 _The boy furrowed his eyebrows. "Then why can't I go and learn with the other Sun Warriors?" he asked, his gaze facing the children training below._

 _The dragon seemed to sigh before answering. "You know why, child." The boy lowered his head in defeat._

South Pole Seas Katara POV

The canoe floated slowly over the water as we 'fished'.

"I'm not gonna lose this one. Watch and learn Katara, this is how you catch a fish." Sokka boasted, holding his spear above his head.

I sighed. _Why did I go with him again?_ Looking into the water in front of me, I saw another fish swimming lazily in the water. I glanced at my hands. _Maybe..._ I removed the glove from my left hand, and waved it carefully above the fish. The water, fish inside, slowly rose from the sea.

"Sokka! I caught one, look!" I said happily.

"Shh, you're gonna scare him away. Mmm, I can already smell it cooking." Sokka said, not paying any attention to me.

"But Sokka I caught one!"I insisted.

Sokka ignored me and raised his spear, popping the water bubble and losing the fish.

"Hey!" I shouted.

Sokka sputtered as he tried to comprehend what had soaked him. "Why is it every time you play with magic water, I end up wet?" he complained.

I huffed, "It's not magic water, its _waterbending_!"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, it's an ancient art unique to our culture, blah, blah, blah. I'm just saying, if I had weird powers, I'd keep them to myself." Sokka argued.

"You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water." I said smugly.

A harsh bump distracted us from the argument. We were caught in the rapids! Acting quickly, he grabbed a paddle and started furiously steering away from any ice platforms.

"Watch out!" I shouted at him. "Left! Go left!" I told him.

He takes a right of course. The canoe was soon crushed in between 2 icebergs. Sokka groaned.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You call that left?" I said sarcastically.

"You don't like my steering? Well maybe you should have _waterbended_ us out of the ice." Sokka said.

I stood up. "So it's my fault now?"

Sokka slumped "I knew I should have left you home!" he said angrily. "Leave it to a girl to mess things up!" he complained.

 _How dare you!_ "You are the most sexist immature nut-brained – I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been running around playing soldier!" I threw my arms back.

Sokka backed away. "Uh, Katara?" He yelped, pointing to behind me.

I ignored him and continued my rant. "I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever _smelled_ your dirty socks? _Not pleasant_!" I screamed at him raising my arms and throwing them back again. Sokka looked scared now.

"Katara! Settle down!" Sokka pleaded desperately.

"No! I'm done helping you! From now on, you're on your own!" I threw my arms again, and the iceberg behind me split with tremendous force.

The iceberg exploded, pushing our ice platform far away from our previous position.

"Okay, you've gone from weird, to freakish Katara." Sokka said to me.

"You mean I did that?" I asked him.

"Yep, congratulations." He said sarcastically.

In front of us, the ice started glowing mysteriously. Suddenly, a large iceberg rose magnificently in the wake of the broken ice. Inside, a large beast was silhouetted above a boy in a meditation pose. Above the creature, another figure was suspended in the ice. The eyes of the boy below opened, glowing with a powerful white light.

My eyes widened. "He's still alive! We have to help" I grabbed Sokka's club off of his back and made my way over to the glowing iceberg.

"Katara! Wait! We don't know what that thing is!" Sokka shouted at me.

Upon reaching the iceberg, I gripped the club and hit it with all of my might. It cracked but didn't break. I hit it again. The crack grew larger. I hit it a third time. _Whoosh!_ A large blast of air emerged from the iceberg, almost blasting me and Sokka entirely off of the iceberg. Above it, a shining beacon of light shot into the sky.

Zuko's Ship Unknown POV

A few miles away, a Fire Nation ship was sailing between the constant maze of icebergs. A young man stood upon its deck, witnessing the bolt of light that signified the avatars release from his icy prison. He narrowed his eyes.

"Finally." He said. "Uncle Iroh, do you realize what this means?" He asked, turning to an old man sitting on the deck, playing a game with some cards. "I won't get to finish my game?" He remarked, looking at his nephew.

His nephew turned back to the light, ignoring his uncle's remark. "This means my search is about to come to an end." He finished. His uncle sighed and continued his game. "That light came from an incredibly powerful source, it has to be him!" he reasoned.

"Or, it's just the celestial lights; we have been down this road before Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get too excited over nothing." His uncle said wisely. "Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?" The old man invited.

This only served to make Zuko angry. "I don't need any calming tea!" He shouted. "Helmsman, head a course for the light."

Iroh's game tiles rippled as a blast of air spread itself over the deck of the vessel.

Iceberg Katara POV

Shortly after the rush of compressed air had passed, a boy, eyes glowing, climbed to the crest of the ice. "Stop!" My brother demanded, brandishing his spear. He glared menacingly at Sokka and I, and then fainted.

Rushing over to the wall of ice, I managed to catch him before he hit the ground. Sokka, idiot he was, started poking him with the butt of his spear.

"Stop it!" I told him. The mysterious boy groaned and opened his eyes.

"I need to ask you something." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"Come closer." he requested.

"What is it?" I asked again while leaned in.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" he said, suddenly energetic.

"Sure, I guess?" I replied uncertainly.

He seemingly floated from the ground, landing on his feet. His skin was slightly pale, and his stature was short. Large grey eyes peeked out from underneath the large blue arrow on his forehead

"What's going on here?" he asked, taking in his surroundings.

"You tell us! How did you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen?" Sokka asked while poking him with his spear.

"I'm not sure." He replied. A low grumbling distracted us from our conversation. "Appa!" the boy shouted, scrambling up the ice wall.

We rounded the corner of the ice wall. My jaw dropped as I took in the scene playing out before me. The kid was trying to lift up the lip of some enormous beast. The animal yawned as it awoke, lifting him up on its tongue. "You're okay!" the boy said laughing.

"What is that thing?" Sokka asked as we rounded the corner.

Aang looked at us, "This is Appa, my flying bison." He replied cheerily.

Sokka stared at him. "Right. And this is Katara, my flying sister."

Appa started to growl, breathing in large of amounts of air. He bared his teeth, and released a large glob of green snot from his nose. The snot hit Sokka directly. I watched in disgust as Sokka tried, unsuccessfully to wipe the snot from his clothes, making various strange noises along the way.

"It'll wash out." he said, grinning "So," Aang started, "do you guys live around here?"

"Don't answer that!" Sokka cut in. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy." Sokka said.

"Yeah I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Navy, you can tell by that _evil_ look in his eye." I said sarcastically. "The paranoid brother is my brother Sokka, you never told us your name." I said.

"I'm Aa-ah-ahh-ahhh- _Achoo!_ " The force of the sneeze blew the boy high into the air. He descended and slid down the ice safely in front of us. "I'm Aang." He finished.

My brother looked at him in disbelief. "You just sneezed, and flew ten feet in the air!"

Aang looked up, "Really? I felt higher than that."

I gasped in realization. "You're an Airbender!" I said in amazement.

Suddenly a new voice cut into our conversation. "Ugh, my head hurts..." It complained. The owner of the voice, another boy, stood up in Appa's saddle. He jumped down and I got a good look at him.

He was short, almost as short as the other boy, and well-built with a broad frame. He was dressed in a simple golden tunic, with baggy red pants that looked they were about to fall off. His face was fairly handsome, marred only by the childish looks on his face. His eyes were the color of molten gold, matching his tanned skin. His hair was pulled into a ponytail, which came down to his shoulders, also the same bright gold as his eyes.

"Who're you guys? Is this the South Pole?" He asked looking between Sokka and me.

Sokka brandished his spear at him. "No, who are you? Are you from the fire nation?" he said with narrowed eyes.

He looked confused. "Umm... My name is Castro, and yes I am fire nation. What does it matter?"

Sokka scowled, "What does it matter? Did you seriously just ask that?" he said angrily.

"Sokka, calm down. I don't think he means any harm. Or do you?" I added, looking at the fire nation boy warily.

"Why would I have a reason to hurt you?" Castro said, looking at me strangely.

This seemed to calm Sokka down, though his spear remained pointed at Castro. Castro shook his head irritably, as if trying to rid himself of some irksome bug.

"Giant light beams, friendly fire nation, airbenders, I think I got midnight sun madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense." He walked over to the edge of the iceberg, only to stop and stare at the endless ocean.

"Well if you guys are stuck, Castro and I can give you a ride on Appa." Aang offered.

I took it. "We'd love a ride, thanks!" I said running over to the side of Appa to climb up.

"Oh no, I am not riding on that fluffy snot-monster, especially not with fire nation." Sokka said. At his comment, Castro scowled in annoyance and jumped in the saddle next to me, aided by some unseen force.

I looked at him. "Are you hoping some other kind of monster will take you home? Y'know, before you _freeze_ to death?" I asked him smugly. Sokka looked like he was about to protest, then hung his head and climbed into the saddle.

"Okay, First-time fliers hold on tight!" Aang said energetically. "Appa, Yip-Yip!" Aang flicked the reins. Appa bent his legs, and then leaped into the air...and splashed into the ocean below.

"Come on Appa! Yip-Yip!" Aang encouraged.

"Wow, that was truly amazing." Sokka said from the back of the saddle. Castro and I both gave him a dirty look. I crawled up to the front of the saddle.

"Appa's just tired," Aang clarified, "a little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky, you'll see!" he finished smiling at me.

When Aang didn't look away I decided to point it out. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" I asked him.

"Oh, I was smiling?" Aang said sheepishly. Behind me I heard Sokka groan and Castro face palm. The ride home continued.

Zuko's Ship Unknown POV

Prince Zuko stood on the top of his ship, staring out at the sea beyond. His uncle, Iroh, approached him from behind.

"I'm going to bed now." He stated. Iroh yawned and stretched. "Yep, a man needs his rest." He hinted. "Prince Zuko, you need some sleep. Even if you are right, and the avatar is alive. You won't find him! Your Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather all tried and failed!" Iroh said.

Zuko spoke up, "that's because their _honor_ didn't hinge on the avatar's capture. Mine does, this cowards hundred years in hiding are over!" he spoke with conviction.

South Pole Castro POV  
I awoke in a small tent. I noticed Aang sleeping next to me. Katara opened the tent flaps and walked in.

"Aang. Aang! Wake up!" Aang woke with a gasp, flailing his arms. "It's okay; we're in the village now. Get Castro up and get ready. Everyone is waiting to meet you two!" Aang stood up and started to get dressed, Katara watching from the doorway.

 ** _What a creep. Women these days._** A voice spoke to me. _Shut up._ I told it, scowling internally. Katara left the tent.

I sat up. "Oh, you're awake. Come on, we have to go meet the village." Aang said. Standing up and stretching, I followed him out of the tent. Katara was waiting by the entrance for us.

Katara walked us over to a group of people gathered in the apparent center of the camp.

"Aang, Castro, this is the entire village. Entire village this is Aang, and Castro." Katara introduced, us bowing in turn.

 ** _So many women... Kill the kids and start a brothel!_** _I thought I told you to shut the fuck up! I yelled internally._

The women grasped their children and held them close. "Uh, why are they all looking at me like that?" Aang asked Katara. "Did Appa sneeze on me?"

An old woman stepped forward. "Well no one has seen an airbender in one hundred years. We thought they were all extinct. Until my granddaughter and grandson found you."

Aang and looked at her in shock. "Extinct?" he echoed disbelievingly.

"This is my grand-mother." Katara introduced us. "Call me Gran-Gran." She said dully.

Gran-Gran looked at me. "Now you, Castro. Katara says you are fire nation. Is this true?" she questioned. I nodded. "Katara also says that you mean no harm. Is this also true?"

I nodded again. "I have no incentive to hurt any of you." I answered.

Sokka walked over to Aang, snatching his staff from his hands. "What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this." He said.

"It's not for stabbing. It's for airbending!" Aang replied. He opened his glider with a burst of air.

This made children giggle. "Magic trick! Do it again!" a little girl requested.

Aang smiled. "Not magic, airbending! It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly!"

Sokka scoffed, "Last time I checked, humans can't fly!" I grinned. He was in for a surprise.

Aang braced himself, "Check again!" Aang leaped into the air. He completed multiple flips and twirls while flying. He looked down and smiled down at the villagers. He then flew into the structure built on the wall of the village.

I shook my head. Sometimes Aang had a bad habit of not paying attention. I wandered over to the watchtower where he had crashed and helped him up.

"That was amazing!" Katara praised.

"I think Sokka is mad at you." I commented, looking over to where he was digging himself out of the snow.

Sokka stood up, grumbling. "Great, you're and airbender, Katara's a waterbender, together you can waste time all day long." He said before stomping away.

Aang and I looked at Katara in amazement "You're a waterbender!" He exclaimed.

"Well, sort of, not yet." Katara said modestly.

Gran-Gran walked over. "Alright, no more playing. Come on Katara you have chores." Katara walked off with her grandmother. Aang watched Katara walk away.

 ** _Someone likes her._** The voice commented. _Why the hell are you so talkative today? Shut up!_ _ **Alright, alright! I'll shut up.**_ It claimed. **_For now that is._** I growled. _Damn you!_

Aang looked at me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. Aang didn't look convinced, but let the matter drop.

I sighed and walked away. _I wonder what Sokka is up to?_

Zuko's Ship Unknown POV

Zuko stood on his ship, facing the two soldiers that were standing in front of him. His uncle was sitting on a stool a short distance away, watching.

"Again." Iroh ordered. Zuko shot a bolt of fire simultaneously at each soldier in front of him. he dodged a bolt to his head, one to his feet, and leapt over the heads of the soldier, firing blasts of flame at them before landing.

Iroh stood. "No! Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body, the energy extends past you limbs and becomes fire!" he proved his point by throwing a blast of fire in front of Zuko, dissipating before it reached him. "Get it right this time."

Zuko walked toward his uncle. "Enough. I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set. I'm more than ready." He said.

"No, you are impatient. You have yet to master your basics." Iroh stated while sitting down. "Drill it again!" he ordered.

Zuko growled and launched a large fireball from his foot. The fireball hit one in the chest, knocking him back. He strode up to his uncle. "The sages tell us that the avatar is the last airbender, he must be over on hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements, ill need more than basic firebending to defeat him. You _will_ teach me the advanced set!" Zuko shouted.

Iroh blinked. "Very well." He conceded. "But first, I must finish my roast duck!" His uncle exclaimed, withdrawing a bowl of food from underneath his seat. Zuko grimaced as Iroh consumed the food noisily.

South Pole Castro POV

I leaned against the wall of the village as I watched Sokka give his 'lesson' to the boys in the village. He was pacing back and forth, occasionally gesturing with his club as he spoke. "Now men, it's important that you show now fear when you face a firebender. In the water tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" He finished dramatically, staring at the children in front of him.

I started clapping politely. Sokka turned around and glared at me. "What? I thought it was good." I said, shrugging. Sokka huffed and turned back around to face the children.

One of the kids raised his hand "I gotta pee!" he exclaimed.

"Listen, until your fathers return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe! And that means _no_ potty breaks!" he said, finality in his voice.

 _What war?_ _What happened while we were in the iceberg?_ _ **Don't ask me, I don't have anything I want to tell you.**_ The voice stated suddenly.

The boy persisted. "But I really gotta go." He said

Sokka sighed. "Okay. Who else has to go?" At this, the rest of the children raised their hands. Sokka face palmed.

Katara walked over. "Have either of you seen Aang? Gran-Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago!"

At this moment, Aang crawled out of the water closet. "Wow! Everything freezes in there!" I heard him say.

I smiled and walked over to him, ignoring the siblings bickering behind me. "It took you an hour to do that? Maybe I should give you some of my fire flakes!" I joked. Aang grinned and beckoned me over to Appa.

I jumped on the saddle, helping the kids up to slide off of his tail.

Sokka came over to us. "Stop!" he shouted, "Stop it right now! What is wrong with you two? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on!" he said.

"What war? What are you talking about?" Aang asked.

I furrowed my eyebrows. _Please let this be a prank._ I prayed.

Sokka stared at him blankly. "You're kidding right?" he asked.

Aang's eyes widened. "PENGUIN!" he yelled excitedly. He sprinted off at unbelievable speeds.

I shook my head and ran after him. After I got out of the siblings view, I started to shoot trace amounts of white flame out of my feet, increasing my speed. I sped across the snow, following Aang's trail until I found him. He was chasing penguins around, trying to catch one. I sat down, trying to catch my breath. Running made me tired, but using firebending to go faster just made me _exhausted_.

I sat on a hill overlooking the penguins clearing. I watched as Aang tried again and again to catch one.

"Hey Castro." I turned around to see Katara standing behind me. "Have you seen Aang around?"

"Yeah, he's over there." I said, pointing to the spot where Aang was chasing another penguin.

I watched them contently as I rested on the hill. **_Ah, young love._** The voice commented. _Back again? I am getting seriously tired of you; all these conversations are giving me a headache!_ I complained. **_Oh really? Maybe I'll talk more often!_** I growled. _There is no reasoning with you is there?_ I asked it. ** _Nope!_** It answered cheerily.

It was disorienting; hearing my own voice speak to me against my will. And it was always such an asshole! The voice had been with me for as long as I could remember. It was always whispering mostly violent, but useful tips. It would sometimes speak to me during combat, and sometimes at my job or during other various activities. Although it would often speak to me randomly in several meaningless conversations.

I looked towards where Aang was wrestling with a penguin. _Don't want to miss my ride._ I thought. I sprinted over to Aang and Katara. I quickly mounted a penguin before it could protest.

Aang grinned. "Come to join the party?" he asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for my life!" I joked.

Katara beckoned us over to a cliff. "Come on you two! The penguins are getting restless!"

We nodded. We spurned our penguins to move, and off we went. We raced down the cliff as fast as we could.

Katara laughed, "I haven't done this since I was a kid!" She commented.

I ramped and landed in between them. "You mean you don't do this every day? This is awesome!" Cackling madly, I sped down the hill. I raced into a tunnel, spinning around the outside. Once I reached the end, Katara and Aang suddenly appeared right behind me. We slid out of the tunnel on our penguins. I dismounted mine and it eagerly ran off.

 ** _You should at least say thank you!_** The voice said sarcastically. I ignored it and looked at the sight in front of me. A huge structure rose in front of us, suspended in the air by icicles.

Aang spoke for both of us. "Whoa! What is that?" he said in amazement.

Katara scowled. "A fire navy ship." She said gravely. "And a very bad memory for our people." She added.

Aang started walking towards the ship, me following. "Guys, stop! We're not allowed to go near it. The ship could be booby-trapped!" Katara warned from behind us.

Aang turned around while I kept moving forward. "If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear." He said wisely.

I called at them from next to a hole in the ship. "Are you coming or what? Hurry up!" I shouted.

Aang rolled his eyes at me and climbed up the ice, helping Katara along the way. We walked inside of the huge ship. The whole thing was made of metal, I noticed. We wandered along the corridors, exploring. We walked down a long hallway, stopping at a ladder. We climbed up, exiting into the topmost corridor not on deck. We went down a long hallway entering a weapons room at the end of it.

I picked up a sword lying in the corner. _Hmm, a little heavy, but maybe I could use this!_ I picked up the scabbard that was next to it. I slung it over my back.

"This ship has haunted our tribe since Gran-Gran was a little girl." Katara commented. "It was part of the Fire Nations first attacks." She continued.

I looked at her, "Wait a sec, what attacks? Before I got stuck in the iceberg, the fire nation didn't even have a navy!" I questioned.

Aang spoke up, "Hold on, back up. I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation." Aang gestured to me. "Neither of us has seen any war!" he said.

Katara looked at us strangely. "How long were you two in that iceberg?" she asked.

Aang spoke "I don't know, a few days maybe?" He answered.

Katara's eyes widened, "I think it was more like a hundred years!"

I scoffed, "Yeah and I'm a fairy princess." I said sarcastically.

Aang eyes widened, "Yeah, that's impossible. Do we look like hundred year old men to you?" He said.

Katara pressed her argument. "Think about it! The war is a century old. You two don't know about it because-somehow-you were in there that whole time! It's the only explanation." she said.

Me and Aang's eyes widened in horror. Aang sank down to the floor, "A hundred years. I can't believe it.

"I'm sorry Aang. Maybe somehow there is a bright side to all this." Katara said comfortingly.

Aang smiled. "I did get to meet you!" he said. Katara smiled back at him.

I looked at them both. "Fear me, for I am now a fairy princess." I joked. They laughed. "I think we ought to get going." I stated. I led the way out of the door, navigating the corridors. Aang led the way up a ladder we found. He walked down the hallway, entering a door at the end.

Katara spoke up. "Aang? Let's head back, this place is creepy." She said.

Aang continued on. _SNAP!_ A tripwire! An iron grate closed over the door we entered through. "What's that you said about booby traps?" Aang said.

I looked around. Various valves moved and pipes steamed as the ship reacted to the tripwires purpose. A shrieking sound rang through the air as a flare cut its way across the sky.

Aang looked at Katara, "Hold on tight!" in a swift movement; he snatched her from the ground and leapt through a hole in the ceiling. I moved under the hole and shot a burst of fire from my feet as I shot out of the ship. Aang jumped down the multiple levels of the ship as he headed towards the ground. I vaulted from the top of the ship, slowing my descent with large jets of orange flame. I didn't have the energy for anything stronger. I landed next to them.

Katara stared at me in shock, "You're a firebender?"

I shook my head. "Talk later, run now!" I said. As we sprinted towards the village, I thought one thing.

We were in _deep_ trouble.

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _Two dragons hovered in front of a boy. The boy looked to be about eight years old. "It is alright child, you will find a way to fend for yourself" the voice of the red dragon spoke in his mind._

 _Tears ran down the boys face. "Will I ever see you again?" he asked._

 _"Perhaps child, we will find out in due time." The blue dragon replied. "Go now, you do not want to want to go down the mountain at night." it chided._

 _The boy looked at both of the dragons, and bowed to them. "Thank you. Goodbye!" he said as he made his way down the side of the cliff. He had learned all he could from the dragons. Now, he was going to live in the world of man._

 **Hey! Its over! That was a lot longer than I expected! I wish I could have updated sooner, but almost 5000 words takes a long time! Hope you fellow Americans had a great Independence Day! If you want to, please leave a review!**


	3. Unexpected Visitors

**Here is chapter 3! I know Castro didn't get very involved in the last episode, so I'll try to put in more. There will not be very many major changes in the first season, but there will be some changes to accommodate the abilities of my OC. And for those who did, thank you for reviewing!**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar the Last Airbender, this story would be in video format.**

Chapter 3 - Unexpected Visitors

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _A young boy made his way down a mountain, leaping from high places and using powerful bursts of orange flames to ease his landings. He continued on like this for a while until he reached the bottom._

 _He took to a path nearby, walking at a leisurely pace. A rustling noise emitted from the trees along the road. His head snapped to the direction of the noise, eyes wide._

 _In front of him, a man leapt from the tree, landing gracefully on the path in front of the boy. The kid turned his head in the direction of the man._

 _Two more men landed behind him, blocking his exit._

 _The apparent leader spoke, "Now what do we have here? Your bag looks full, and your parents are nowhere in sight!" He said, a smug smirk on his face. "Speaking of that bag of yours, I'll just take that from you."_

 _He advanced, walking slowly towards him. The boy relaxed, and breathed in. Thrusting his fist forward, a large fireball flew in the direction of the man._

 _He gracefully leapt out of the way. He smiled. "A firebender? My boss could make use of you in the refinery!" The man stooped down and withdrew a knife from his boot. He sprinted forward, the men behind the boy also advancing. He breathed in, and jumped into the air, fire thrusting from his feet. He threw another fireball at their leader._

 _This proved to be too fast to dodge for him. The boy fell to the ground, landing in a crouch. The fireball caught the man in the leg, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. He screamed. "Forget it! Kill the damn boy!" A fourth man fell from a tree above the boy. He landed on him, knocking the air from his lungs._

 _He grabbed a knife from his waistband. "You brought this on yourself!" he growled, and plunged the knife in to the boys chest._

 _The boy saw no more._

The South Pole, Castro POV

We trudged through the snow in silence. We walked over the crest of a hill. The villagers were waiting for us, outside the wall. Aang and Katara continued forward, but I veered left towards Appa. I climbed into the saddle and lay down.

The children laughed with glee as they rushed up to Aang. The women stayed back and looked warily at him. Sokka moved forward out of the group, "I knew it! You signaled that fire navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us arent you!" He said, an accusing finger pointed at Aang.

I clenched my fists. **_Is this guy always such an ass?_** A voice in my head asked me. _As far as I've seen._ I replied. **_You think you can get his spear?_** It asked. _What? Why?_ I ventured curiously. **_I bet he would look pretty funny with it shoved in his ass._** It answered. _Probably. Besides, I'm pretty sure that stick is getting lonely up there._ I grinned.

I turned my attention back to their argument. "Get out of our village, now!" I heard Sokka say.

Katara stepped forward, "Grandmother, please! You can't let Sokka do this!" she pleaded.

Her grandmother spoke, "Katara you knew going on that ship was forbidden! Sokka is right." She scolded. "I think it best if the both of them leave."

"Fine!" Katara shouted, "Then I'm banished too! Come on Aang lets go." She grabbed Aang by his arm and led him towards Appa.

Oh no, this wasn't going to end well. I ignored their argument and waited for it to be over. **_Well, if a fire nation ship gets here, you won't have to worry about them anymore._** The voice said. _If a fire nation ship came here, Aang would risk his life to save them. And if he does, I will too._ The voice was silent.

"It was nice meeting everyone." Aang's voice said from in front of me.

"Let's see your bison fly now air-boy." Sokka said.

I growled and swung my fist towards him, sending a weak wave of fire in his direction. He jumped back in surprise. He glared at me as we crossed the hill.

I turned to Aang. "Where do we go now?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I guess we ought to hang around here for a while and make sure the fire nation doesn't blow up their village." He answered. I nodded, and the ride continued in silence.

We reached a large ice structure a small distance from the village. I dismounted Appa and flew up to a hole in the ice.

Once comfortable, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

Suddenly, Aang called to me, "Castro, wake up! There a fire navy ship heading to the village, let's go!" He told me.

I sighed, he just _had_ to disturb my nap. I leapt off of the structure and followed after Aang who was running towards the village.

"Castro!" He yelled to me, "You go protect the villagers, I have an idea!" he changed direction and sprinted away.

 _Well there he goes._ I thought, keeping in the direction of the village. Once I reached it, I jumped the back wall and landed silently behind the large igloo. I peeked out from the side and took in the situation.

A large ship was parked in front of the wall; the front of the ship was acting as a walkway. There was a young man with a large scar on his face in the front, and six soldiers behind him. Three were armed, the rest were not. _Must be firebenders_. I thought.

A misplaced sense of dismay came over me as the man paced in front of the villagers. "Tell me where he is at, or I'll have force you." He said to them. The dismay I felt turned to anger as the man lashed out, and snatched Katara's grandmother from the crowd.

He snarled as he spoke, "He'd be about this age, master of all elements!" He shouted as he held the old woman in front of him. The women of the tribe stared blankly at him as he waited for an answer. He suddenly shoved the old woman towards her granddaughter, and sent a wave of fire over the crowd.

"I know you're hiding him!" he shouted. Sokka stood up behind him. He raised his club and sprinted towards him, screaming all the way. When Sokka reached him, the man grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.

I hid behind the igloo again and sighed. **_You've got company; one of the guards noticed you. He's coming over here right now._** A voice spoke to me urgently.

I peeked my head around the corner. The voice was right; a guard was staring at me from a few feet away. He sank into a firebending stance. I sprung into action. I dodged the fireball he launched at me, and threw my own blue fireball at him. He dispersed it, though the blast knocked him onto his back.

I ran out and joined the crowd, stopping next to Katara. The soldier walked out from behind the igloo and joined the others. The man from before was standing in front of Aang, who's arrival I had missed. They were both settled into bending stances.

Aang swung his staff, slinging snow on the soldiers and their leader, "Looking for me?" he taunted.

The man melted the snow on him, "You're the airbender? You're the avatar?" He asked surprised.

The two benders began to encircle each other, "I've spent years preparing for this encounter," he said, "training, meditating. You're just a child!" he growled.

"Well you're just a teenager!" Aang retorted.

He growled, and sent two blast of fire at Aang. Aang spun his staff, blocking the flames. I tensed, and moved to step forward. A hand grabbed my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it was Katara's grandmother.

"Don't, this is his fight." She said. I nodded and relaxed.

Aang stepped in front of the crowd, spinning his staff to disperse any flames coming his way. A wave of fire came towards the villagers, bathing them with its heat. The children screamed in fear.

Aang stopped and started to speak, "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" he bargained.

The man nodded. The soldiers grabbed Aang from behind and led him towards the ship. The one that had attacked me walked over to his leader and whispered something in his ear.

He looked at me, "On one condition, the firebender comes too." He demanded.

I sighed, and began walking forward. The remaining soldiers grabbed me once I was close. **_So you're just gonna give up? Kill them! Kill them all!_** ****The voice shouted furiously. I ignored it and continued walking onto the ship. Katara said something to Aang, but I wasn't listening.

I needed a plan.

Zuko's ship, Castro POV

I stood on the deck of the ship, surrounded by the soldier of the man whom I learned was called Prince Zuko.

"This staff will make an excellent give for my father," Zuko commented, "I suppose you wouldn't know of father's; being raised by monks." He said.

He looked at me, "And you, a traitor to the Fire nation. I assume you'll be executed for treason to Fire Lord Ozai." He said with a smug smirk on his face.

I snarled, "It's not treason if I was never loyal to the royal bitch in the first place asshole!" I growled at him.

He looked at me in anger, "Take them to the prison hold!" he ordered. The soldiers guided me and Aang down the stairs. We went down a long hallway that ended with a door. I looked around me, and saw a door, slightly open, with a metal plaque on the front; reading treasury. _I might want to remember where that is._

Aang looked between the soldiers, "So, I guess you guys have never fought an airbender before! I bet I could take you both on with my hands tied behind my back!" Aang said.

"Silence!" the soldier ordered. The soldier withdrew a key from his pocket and moved to place it in the lock of the door ahead. I heard Aang take a deep breath.

 _Oh no._ I thought. Quickly I flattened myself against the wall. _Whoosh!_ A blast of air blew the guard into the door and him into the guard behind.

He looked at me, "Castro, come on! Let's get out of here!" he shouted to me.

"Not yet! I want to do something first, find your staff and meet me on deck!" I yelled back.

He nodded, and then leapt up the stairs to the deck. I looked around. _Where did I see that again? Oh yeah!_ I sprinted down the hallway and took a left. I entered another hallway, this one ending with a door labeled _treasury_ , guarded by two men with spears.

When they noticed me, they put their spears in front of them and walked towards me slowly. I moved my hands in a slow circular motion, sparks beginning to gather at my fingertips. I shot both of my hands out at the same time, and small bolts of lightning flew towards both of the men, electrocuting them into unconsciousness.

My vision blurred. _I really need to work on expanding my chi reserves!_ I stumbled down the corridor and entered the treasury. My jaw dropped, I've never seen so much gold in the same place! Quickly grabbing as much as I could and filling my pockets, I ran out as fast as I could muster. I sprinted onto the deck.

 _Oh shit_. _Wham!_ A huge wave of water hit me in the face. I soared backwards, over the stairs and onto the metal floor behind me. My head hit the deck with great force. My vision went black, and I faded out of consciousness.

South Pole Seas, Aang POV

I sat on Appa's head as we flew. I heard a groan from behind me.

Katara looked at me, "Aang, he's awake!" She said. I jumped up and looked at Castro laying on the saddle.

He sat up, "What happened back there?" he asked.

Katara spoke to him, "We were on the ship, and Aang accidentally hit you with a wave of water." She explained.

Castro's eyes widened, he looked down and frantically began searching his pockets. He grinned, "I have a surprise for you guys!" He withdrew a large handful of gold from his left pocket, holding it out boastfully.

Katara looked at it, startled, "Where did you get that?" she asked, astonished.

He smirked, "stole it from the ship back there, it was easy." He said.

I smiled, "Well, now we have the money we need to get to the North Pole!" I said cheerfully.

Castro looked at me, "Why am I not surprised were heading to the North Pole?" he sighed.

Sokka glared at him from his job of sharpening his spear. Castro frowned as he noticed the look, "What're you glaring at me for?" he asked.

Sokka continued his glare as he spoke, "You're a firebender!" he said angrily.

Castro looked confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sokka grumbled and looked down at his spear. Castro rolled his eyes, "I'm going to sleep, my head hurts." He said, then rolled over in the saddle.

I sighed. _This is going to be a_ long _flight._

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _The boy woke up surrounded in blood, not a single drop of it on him. He held his head in pain and groaned._

 _He looked around; he was farther along the path than before. What happened? He thought in a daze. His eyes widened as he remembered the events from earlier. He frantically looked down at his chest. Nothing. No blood on his shirt, or his chest. No scar either._

 _He tightened his eyes as tears threatened to leak out. He stumbled along the path looking for civilization, not noticing the gruesome remains of the bandit convoy behind him._

 **Hmm, that last part had me stumped for a few days. I just didn't know what to put! Oh well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and have a wonderful life!**


	4. Old Memories

**Ah, going back to the keyboard after a long vacation is refreshing! Thank you lizyeh2000 for the continued support, and thank you MasterOydessy and KingSora3 for the kind reviews! I really appreciate it, and with no further ado, here is chapter 4!**  
 **Disclaimer: I have no right to the ownership of Avatar the Last Airbender, and probably never will.**

Chapter 4 – Old Memories

Flashback, Unknown POV

 _A sharp yelp of pain burst through the air. A young boy had cut himself on a berry bush. He sucked on his finger and continued picking the berries with his other hand, placing them in the basket under his arm._

 _"You again? Stop stealing my berries you little punk!" An angry voice cried as a man rushed into the clearing._

 _The boys eyes widened in fear as he sprinted for the edge. He dove recklessly under a wall of thorn-covered bushes, grunting in pain as he did. He stood up and sprinted through the forest on the other side, the angry shouts of the man fading into the distance._

Castro POV

I lounged on the shore, gazing out at the sun's reflection on the waves. I took a deep breath, and focused on the small pile of sticks in front of me. They burst violently into a minuscule blaze of white, my energy draining as I did so.

I frowned. I try, and I try again, but I can never seem to increase my stamina. I thought sadly. _**Maybe its because you're weak**_ _._ A voice taunted in my head. I sighed internally. _Why can't you compliment me for once?_ I asked. _Because if I did, I'd be lying._ It responded flatly.

I ignored it and removed the sword that I had picked up in the abandoned ship off of my back. It was heavy, rusty, and really dull. This could use some work. I thought. _**Gee, you think so? That piece of shit blade couldn't cut through hot butter!**_

I rolled my eyes and stood up from my spot on the beach. "Hey Castro, time to go!" Aang shouted at me from afar. I gave him a thumbs up, and jogged my way back to Appa.

I leaped onto the saddle and made myself comfortable. "Appa, yip-yip!" Aang ordered his bison. And so the wait begins... I thought glumly.

Sokka POV

 _Great, stuck on a flying bison with a firebender and an empty stomach._ I thought as I glared at the firebender on the other side of the saddle. My stomach growled angrily. I reached for my bag of jerky. I held it up, and deposited the contents onto my palm. But nothing fell from the bag.

"Hey! Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?" I looked accusingly at Castro, but he simply shrugged and went back to staring out of Appa's saddle. I looked at Aang, who was glancing at me sheepishly.

"Oh, that was food? I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry." He apoligized.

"You what!" I shouted exasperated. "No wonder the flames smelled so good." I muttered to myself.

Castro looked over to me. "Why do you dislike me so much?" he asked.

I sighed, "The Fire Nation has done alot of bad things over the hundred years you've been in the iceberg, and because of that-I don't think I can trust you yet." I said, looking at Castro gravely.

He frowned in acceptance, and the journey continued in silence.

Castro POV Southern Air Temple

I walked along the pathway leading up to the temple. I looked uncertainly at the ground before speaking. "Hey Aang?" I began, "I've been thinking about what Gran-Gran said back at the Water Tribe. What she said about how the airbenders were extinct?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "I thought about that too, the Air Nomads were a traveling people-surely they cant all be dead! But that's saying they got most of them, which I don't really believe." he said nonchalantly.

I sighed and followed him along the path. He stopped at a ledge overlooking the airball field. I walked up to him. "Hey Aang, you show Sokka and Katara around, I'm gonna see what I can find around here." I told him.

He grinned at me, "Meet us at Appa near sundown!" He said. I turned around an walked up the stairs behind me.

A voice interrupted my walk. _**Wow, I don't think Gran-Gran was lying-I can almost smell the death in the air.**_ It mused quietly. I looked around fearfully, I knew for a fact that the voice was almost never wrong.

I took a left at the top of the staircase, ending at a large pavilion. I stopped on the edge, and my memories of this place rushed into my mind.

 _"Now, curl the air around your body and sprint as fast as you can!" Gyatso's voice rang out._

 _Aang smirked as he bolted across the pavilion at breakneck speeds. "How about that Monk Gyatso?" He called from the other side._

 _He nodded appreciatively, "Well done Aang! That should be enough for the day." He replied, then walked back into the temple._

 _Aang bolted over to the ledge I was perched on. "Did you see that? That was awesome!" He shouted excitedly._

 _I nodded, "Yeah, that was cool! I wonder if I could do something like that with my firebending?" I said._

I shook my head, chasing off the old memories. That was the day I created the move I named the fire sprint. I would run, and jet small flames from my heels, augmenting my movement speed. It wasnt as fast as and airbender, but it was at least three times faster that what anyone else could do.

 _ **All these positive thoughts, and yet you're too wimp to do it with white fire.**_ The infernal voice scoffed. I scowled. _I don't want to burn my shoes off again! It isn't pleasant to have molten leather on your foot you know!_ I retaliated angrily..

I continued my walk through the temple. I gazed upon the age-worn murals with sorrow. This place used to be beautiful... Now it's just a run-down old stone structure. I thought sadly.

I walked out of the dining hall and went along the path that went to all the old Avatar statues. I was wandering along the old path, when suddenly, a flying lemur flew past my head, fleeing from what seemed to be a large dust cloud.

I peered at the rapidly approaching blob of dust. My eyes widened and I leaped to the side to avoid it. "Hey Castro!" Aang shouted from within the dust.

I shook my head and turned around almost missing Sokka running by. "That lemur is mine Aang!" he shouted.

I shrugged and continued to the statue room. You can only open the doors with airbending, but I knew a secret passage inside. Just before entering the main corridor, I jumped over the railing on the right, landing on a secluded platform below. I lay down on my stomach, and squeezed through a small opening in the rock. I came out to a small corridor with a stairway upwards. I ascended the steps, and twisted a small handle on the stone. The hidden door cracked opened.

"Hello? Who's there?" Katara's voice called out. Huh, Aang must have opened the door.

"Katara, it's me, Castro!" I called back. I jumped off of the stone shelf I ended up on. I walked over to her. "What were Sokka and Aang doing?" I asked her.

She sighed, "They're chasing after some lemur that showed up." She replied.

I nodded and stared at the statue next to me. Suddenly, the eyes of the statue started glowing an ominous blue. Aang must be in the Avatar state!

I ran outside as fast as I could. A huge column of air was whipping violently in the distance. "Hold on!" I told Katara. I picked her up and leapt off of the pathway, jetting powerful white flames from my feet to fly towards the column. I descended quickly on to the ground near it.

I set Katara down and we rushed towards Aang. We stopped next to Sokka, "What happened?" Katara shouted to him over the wind.

"He found out firebenders killed Gyatso!" he shouted back to Katara.

"Oh no! It's his Avatar spirit! I'm gonna try to calm him down!" Katara yelled.

"Do it quick, before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka shouted.

Meanwhile, my vision was blurring. Flying like that used up most of my chi. I mustered my strength and focused enought to grab hold of a rock in front of me.

 _ **I wonder what your corpse would look like if you were blown off the mountain?**_ I ignored the voice and did my best to stay alive. _**You would look a lot like a guy who had an anvil dropped on his head.**_ The voice snickered. Shut up would ya'? I told it. _**You know what they say, X marks the spot! If only there was an X down there...**_ It trailed off. I ignored its nonsensical ramblings and tried to focus on what Katara was saying.

"I went through the same thing when I lost my mom!" She was shouting, "Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family!" She yelled to Aang over the wind. "Sokka, Castro and I, we're you're family now!" Katara finished.

At this, the wind died down dramatically. I loosened my grip on the rock, and trudged forwards. Aang landed on the ground. "Don't worry Aang, we ain't gonna anything happen to you." Sokka said to him comfortingly. "I promise."

Aang fell into Katara's arms. "I'm sorry." He apologized

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault." Katara said.

"But you were right," Aang started. "If the Fire Nation found this temple, that means they found the other ones too. I really am the last airbender." Aang lamented.

Katara hugged the young boy. I put my hand on his head. I'm sorry Aang...

 _Time skip_

I was leaning against the wall of the sanctuary, arguing with the voice in my head. _**I dont get why you can't just fly to the Fire Nation and kill the Fire Lord in his sleep!**_ It repeated stubbornly. _I already told you, it doesnt work like that! Aang needs to be the one to defeat the Fire Lord, or balance wont be restored!_ I shouted internally. _**That doesn't make sense, what does it matter who kills the bitch?**_ It argued. _Whatever, I'm done talking to you!_

I shut the voice out and tuned in on my surroundings. Aang was staring at the Roku statue, talking with Katara. "How is Roku suppposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" he was saying.

"Maybe you'll find a way." Katara said to him encouragingly.

A quiet noise caught my attention. It was the lemur from before, and it had a bundle of food in its arms. It rushed over to Sokka and dropped the food at his feet.

"Looks like you a new friend Sokka!" Aang commented.

Sokka shoved the food into his mouth, "Can't talk-must eat!" he said, his voice muffled through a wad of food.

The lemur ran up to Aang and attached itself to his head. "Hey little guy!" Aang said happily.

"Hey, I think we ought to leave soon." Katara said.

I looked at them all, "She's right. You guys get ready, I have one last thing to do before we leave." I said. Before anyone could respond, I walked out of the temple.

 _Time skip_

I knelt at the gravestone Aang and I had constructed for the old monk. Gyatso... thank you for teaching me so much. I promise I will help Aang make this right. Goodbye. I stood and wiped the tears from my eyes. I walked down the path to Appa.

"Hey guys, you ready to go?" I greeted as I reached the bottom of the pathway.

Aang smiled at me from Appa's head. "Yeah, we're headed to Kyoshi Island!" He said excitedly.

Ihopped onto the saddle. The lemur from before chittered at me from his perch on the airbenders shoulder. I looked at him. "What's his name?" I asked Aang.

He grinned, "Momo." He said simply.

Momo stared at me from his place on Aang. I frowned. "I dont think he's too fond of me." I said. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." I told them before

curling up on the saddle.

 _There is no turning back now._

 _Flashback, Unknown POV_

 _A young boy sat cloaked in shadow in a dark alleyway. His target was a grocery stand covered in various different types of meats. A flash of light, and the vendors pant were alight with flame._

 _The boy strode up to the panicked vendor and flicked his wrists, dispersing the fire. He walked away before the man could thank him. As the boy walked along the street, people gave him nervous looks and shuffled out of his way._

 _He exited the small village. Smirking victoriously, he withdrew the stolen cuts of meat from within his cloak._

 _He would not starve tonight._

 **Well this sucked. This chapter consisted of short bursts of powerful inspiration, then long, boring droughts of writers block. Hopefully the next one won't be the same way... Oh well, what did you think of it? Is Castro too much of a (what do you call it?) a Gary-Sue? If you think so, I'll try my best to think of some more flaws for him, even though only one flaw has been seen so far. Please review and have a good day!**


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